Project Profile: One Hundred Things

As mentioned in my last post, my latest project of note was designing a cover for the Press' latest seasonal publication, One Hundred Things To Do This Summer, a notable departure from the usual newsprint short tab Summer Guide Book. Also mentioned was that after having the work order sit on my desk for a solid I-don't-know-how-long, I finally cleared about four hours to get it done, three of which were woefully unproductive. Idle googling. Ideas would begin to form on my screen, only to be swept away by multiple undos. Much nervous eyeing of the little clock in the corner of my monitor, and of the big clock on the wall across from my left.

But, in that final hour, something . . . something began to take shape, and I decided it would stick. It had to. Whereas I had originally wanted to concoct a swirling tornado of regional summer fun, something reminiscent of an older cover, I soon realized that my vision was exceeding my grasp. Nonetheless, a solid idea had formed, and I was on my way. What became of all this was a single graphic juxtaposing both the area's well-known natural beauty with the semi-iconic clock at the corner of Durkee and Bridge streets and colorful buildings of Downtown Plattsburgh. As I mentioned back in May, I was happy with the results, and I still am. And if you happen to pick up a copy of the guide yourself, I recommend you check out #10, #13, #51, #76 and #84. See you in about a week, when I'll be posting about my own little part in American History making, the Obama Inauguration.

On the Proverbial Horizon

When I started this blog, I certainly intended for there to be a tad more regularity between posts than once every three months. However, things at the Press have kept me falling-down-dead busy as of late, and whenever the time came to prioritize and re-prioritize my project list, the blog was a frequent casualty.

After learning a valuable lesson in workload management this past Thursday, I had finally gotten enough cleared from my plate to be able to dedicate at least a few hours to designing a cover for this year's summer quarterfold, 100 Things to do this Summer. It's a pretty big deal, since we're running it on glossy stock on some new equipment that the press crew is especially excited about.

At the end of three and a half hours of a complete and utter creative block, I finally printed out proofs to distribute for the approval of various parties, somewhere around 8:30pm. I have to say I'm pretty happy with the result. But what looked good at 8:30 at night on Thursday after two Mindsweepers might not look as good at 8:30 Monday morning. We'll see.

If it makes it through, I'll be posting it in my print design page soon after. Also, I've finally put up a few blogs I'm following in the highly unlikely chance you get bored with this one.

Project Profile: UNYTEA

Last fall, around September or so, the dark, gray clouds of a coming political storm were just beginning to brew over New York's 23rd congressional district. John McHugh, the area's long-serving member of congress, had been appointed to Secretary of the Army, and what began was a political drama that captured the attention of every national media outlet. Although it was the largest district east of the Mississippi, little-known "23" would suddenly find itself to be the most talked about race in the country, even with two staggering gubernatorial upsets happening in Virginia and New Jersey.

The race for NY-23 had it all, from endorsements from top-tier political figures to a down-to-the-wire finish. In the end, Bill Owens would become the first democrat to win the seat in over 100 years.

At the heart of much of the local grassroots activism was The Upstate New York Tea Party, or UNYTEA. I was invited to attend a healthcare forum at which the three prospective candidates were invited to speak, and as I read my invitation I had gotten in the mail, my brain couldn't get past the fact that their early mail-outs had no unifying, cohesive look. For a graphic designer, this is a maddening thing.

A few days later, the unytea logo was born. A carefully crafted silhouette of New York State in red (echoing the organization's more republican leanings) encircled on its top by exactly thirteen blue stars (the number of original US colonies), with a small white star marking the general vicinity of "upstate". The fonts used (Myriad Condensed Pro for the wordmark, Adobe Caslon in the logo itself) offered a well-balanced combination of clean, modern aesthetic while maintaining a classic feel.

Shortly afterward, I met with the group's chairman, Mark Barie, who enlisted me to design a complete identity package including business cards, a letterhead, envelopes, and a complete redesign of their website, with elements of the original logo tying everything together.